Album Review: Chris Christodoulou – Risk of Rain OST

Risk of Rain

Chris Christodoulou creates an auditory adventure for the upcoming space platformer, Risk of Rain.

Music and sound effects can often be a blessing or a curse for a video game. The audio can either enhance an already great game, or sabotage the developer’s efforts with annoying or repetitive audio that distracts from the gameplay. Luckily, the creators of the upcoming action platformer, Risk of Rain, have scored a talented composer behind the game’s original soundtrack.

Chris Christodoulou has been infatuated with music since a young age. He began by taking music lessons, and went on to study music theory in Athens. It was around this time that Christodoulou also joined bands of varying genres, lending his skills at the keyboards and drums. It’s these diverse influences that came through and helped shape Risk of Rain’s unique sound. The soundtrack is not just an ordinary chiptune album – Christodoulou’s musical background adds a level of refinement that accentuates the feel of the game.

Risk of Rain takes place in the future in which there is only one survivor after a space train crash. The story unfolds on a mysterious planet with bizarre creatures and events for the protagonist to contend with. Christodoulou’s eerie synth effects paired with heavy rhythms help convey the sinister vibe of the environment and the gravity of the situation.

Much like the music from Bastion, the game’s soundtrack has some modern rock mixed with some chiptune elements. “Double Fucking Rainbow” (by far the heaviest track) is a good example of this with fierce guitar solos and double bass thundering under electronic blips. There are also some more down-tempo songs like “Coalescence” that has a sort of hypnotizing effect with its looping melodies. Christodoulou even throws in some hints of jazz on “Aurora Borealis” and a little R&B on the closing track, “Chanson d’Automne..” for an urban, industrial feel.

Listening to the soundtrack from start to finish really gives you the feeling that you’ve embarked on an epic and perilous journey in space, and there is a definite sense of progression and continuity among all of the tracks. Overall, Risk of Rain OST does an excellent job of adding to the story and enhancing the overall atmosphere of the game.

Risk of Rain can be pre-ordered at Bandcamp for €4 (or about $5.34) in which four tracks are immediately available to download. The full album will be available once it’s officially released on September 4th. For those interested in the game (also set for a fall 2013 release) you can try the demo now or pre-order it here.

© 2013, The Indie Mine. All rights reserved.

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Author:Jennifer Roger

Writer of things. Lover of independent culture, particularly games and music. Likes running, hockey, and sometimes people. You can find her on Twitter (@missjendie) or at her blog at missjendie.com.

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

  1. August 2013 Music Roundup | The Indie Mine - September 1, 2013

    […] the atmospheric soundtrack of upcoming space platformer Risk of Rain. Staff music writer Jennifer described the OST as “…not just an ordinary chiptune album – Christodoulou’s musical background adds […]

  2. Risk of Rain Preview | The Indie Mine - September 5, 2013

    […] Much of the atmosphere in Risk of Rain is created by its soundtrack, which is both eerie and forceful. My fellow Indie Mine reviewer Jennifer Roger has written an excellent article about Risk of Rain’s soundtrack, which you can find here. […]

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